Veteran football coach, Roberto Mancini says he made a big mistake by quitting the Italy job for Saudi Arabia.
His role as head coach of Italy ended on August 12, 2023, after he accepted a very lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia to manage the team for four years.
But he was sacked by Saudi Arabia this month just a year into his four year contract after a poor run of results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Speaking with Il Giornale, the Italian tactician stated that he would have kept hold of his job in Italy.
“No, I wouldn’t make the choice to leave the Italy bench again.
“That solid relationship of trust that I had with the Federation had been mutually undermined. If I could go back, I would approach everything differently. If (FIGC president Gabriele) Gravina and I had spoken, explained, clarified, things probably wouldn’t have gone this way.
“Coaching while feeling that the confidence in yourself wavers, believe me, is not a good feeling. It does not guarantee that you can work with the right serenity. Despite this, I reproach myself for not having faced everything more clearly.
“Between me and Gravina there has always been a relationship based on great respect and dialogue. And the time when perhaps it was necessary to speak clearly, it was not done.”